Automatic air-valve for water-mains.



No. 653,255 5 Patented-Julyl0, I900. C. E. LQETZER.

AUTOMATIC-AIR VALVE FOR WATER MAINS. (Application filed Oct. 6, 1899.) (No Model.)

"Illlllllllllll llllllllllllY' lllll HI WITNESSES ill inn TATES PATENT mole.

CHRISTIAN E. LOETZER, OF SAYRE, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC AIR-VALVE FOR WATER-MAINS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 653,255, dated July 10, 1900.

Application filed October it, 1899.: Serial No, 732,821. (No model.) i

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHRISTIAN E. LOETZER, a

' citizen of the United States, residing at Sayre,

in the countybf Bradford and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Air-Valves for ater-Mains; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descrip tion of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to air-valves for water-mains.

It is well known that air usually accumulates in water-mains at the highest points or summits, forming air-cushions which obstruct theflow of the water, causing the waterpressure to decrease materially when water is being drawn in considerable quantities, as is the case when one or more fire-hydrants are in use.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and efficient contrivance for attachment to water-mains to prevent the accumulation of air and consequent obstruction to the flow of the water and decrease of waterpressure by providing for the escape of the confined air when the pressure attains or we ceeds an undesirable limit without liability of permitting the escape of the water. T

The invention will first be hereinafter more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and then pointed out in the claims'at the end of the description.

In the drawings,which illustrate a preferred form of embodiment of my invention, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of an air-valve embodying my invention detached from the water-main. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional elevation of the same, showing the valve open to permit the escape of the air. Fig. 3 is a simi-' lar vertical sectional elevation showing the valve seated or closed, and Fig. 4. is a perspective view of the plug or nipple which affords a ready means for attachment to a water main.

In the drawings the letter A denotes a suitable casing for the valve, consisting of an upright or vertical cylinder having a cap B at its u'pperiend and a plug or nipple O at the lower. end thereof, the cylinder being into Qriorly screw-threaded at each end to receive threaded portions of the cap and plug, or the latter may be otherwise secured to the cylinder. The lower end portion or plug 0 may be provided at its lower end, for connection with a main or water-pipe, with a downward extension or projection 0, having a passageway d therethrough for admitting water from the main or water-pipe into the valve-casing, and said projection c is preferably screwthreaded at its free extremity for screwing into an interiorly-threaded aperture in the main or water-pipe, while its body portion is polygonal 'in cross-section to permit engagement of a wrench therewith for unscrewing and detaching or attaching the same to the valve-casing.

At its upper end the cap B may be provided with an upwardly-projecting boss' or extension e, which supports a float or shellf of the fioat-valve,-at the lowest position thereof, said projection e being preferably in substantially the form of an inverted frustum of a cone and having on its top flanges e e, radiating from the center thereof, designed to serve as guides for the float f as it rises and falls, the lower end of said float embracing said ridges or flanges, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Ports or passages d d extend through the base of the part 6, connecting the interior of the valvecasing with the passage dofthe plug 0.

The float f,which carries the valve proper, g, is designed to rise and fall, according to the height of the water within the valve-casing, and hence may be of any desired construction, but is preferably an inverted shell or hollow cylinder closed at its upper end and open at its lower end and adaptedto hold sufficient air to give it buoyancy. The float f carries at its upper end the valve proper, g, the stem or rod of which is provided with a collar f adapted to bear against the sides of the chamber or recess in the cap 13 in which the valve is seated, so as to guide the valve in its Vertical or reciprocating movements.- Said collar f ispreferably triangular or polygonal in form to provide a passage for air between its sides and the interior of the chamber or recess in the cap.

The chamber or recess h in the cap B, in

which the valve 9 works, communicates with the larger chamber or casing containing the float f, and said valve-chamber may be continued in reduced size through a suitable extension or projection Z) of the cap, said extension being preferably polygonal to engage a -Wrench for unscrewing the cap from the cylinder A.

A valve-seat h, adapted to fit the valve 9, is provided at the upper end of the valvechamber h at junction of the air-vent h communicating with the outer air. The extension or projection I) of the cap B is also preferably provided with a reduced eXteriorly-tln'eaded portion 1) for engagement with an interiorlythreaded cap or cover I, the latter having preferably a milled head 'i for unscrewing it from the part B and provided beneath said head with apertures 7; for passage of air from the air-vent hicommunicating with the valvechamber h.

The air-valve thus constructed is adapt-ed to be placed at suitable points on the watermain wherever it is desired to permit the escape of accumulated air, and so long as the float is resting on the base or support therefor, with the valve open, the air will pass out, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2. hen the air has all escaped and the water rises in the valve to about the point indicated by the dot-ted line 1 in Fig. 3, the float will rise, causing the valve to be seated, and thus pre vent the escape of the water. As the air again accumulates, the water will again fall below the point 1 and the accumulated air will again be allowed to escape, thus automatically relieving the Water main or pipe of accumulated air and preventing the flow of the water from being obstructed or retarded, as

Y is the case when no provision is made for permitting the confined air to escape.

The air-valve will also be found to be useful in emptying a' water-main. If the water is to be drawn from the main for the purpose of cleaning or repairs,the valve, being located at a high point, will allow air to enter the pipe in the opposite direction to that indicated by the arrows in the drawings, thus preventing a vacuum from forming in the pipe and allowing the water to flow freely from the same.

The device thus constructed may be easily applied to a water-main or readily removed therefrom and is simple and inexpensive in construction and efficient and durable in use. Furthermore, access to the interior of the casing is easily afforded for the purpose of cleaning or removing the float-valve by reason supporting shell, a cover for the opposite end of said casing having a central bore or valvechamber and valve-seat therein, and a comparatively-light inverted cup-like shell having its open end seated on said extension and carrying a valve at its closed upper end working in the bore of said cap, said shell being adapted to rest on said extension and permit the escape of air until the water rises within the casing to a certain point whereupon the shell will float and close the valve to prevent the escape of the water, substantially as described.

2. An automatic air-valve for Water mains comprising a suitable casing having a cap or cover with air vent or port therein and a floatvalve arranged within said casing and adapted to close said air-vent when the float rises and to open the same when the float fails, a plug or nipple at the base of said casing detachably secured thereto and adapted for attachment to a water-main; said plug having a centrally-disposed water way or passage communicating with an outwardly-inclined inlet port or ports for deflecting the water laterally as it enters the casing, and a seat or support for said float, extending above said inlet port or ports, whereby the accumulation of air within the casing will cause the float to fall and open the air-vent to permit the air to escape while the rising of the water beyond a predetermined height will close said air-vent to prevent the escape of the water, substantially as described.

3. An automatic air-valve for water-mains comprising an open-ended vertically-disposed cylinder having atone end a detachable plug with fluid-inlet therein for attachment to a water-main, and at the other end thereof a removable cap having a differential bore and air-vent, the fluid-inlet in said plug communicating with the interior of said cylinder by a port or ports adapted to deflect the current toward the sides of the said cylinder or casing, a valve working in the bore of larger di ameter, and a float within the casing supporting said valve, whereby the accumulation of air within the casin g will cause the float to fall and open the air-vent to permit the air to escape while the rising of the water beyond a predetermined height will close the valve to prevent the escape of Water, substantially as described.

4. An automatic air-valve for water-mains comprising a vertically-disposed casing hav ing a removable cap or cover at one end and a plug or nipple at the other for attachment to a water-main, said cap being centrally bored to form a valve-chamber and having an air-vent above said chamber,and said plug being removably secured to said casing and provided with a fluid-inlet port or ports for deflecting the water laterally as it enters the casing, together with a float supporting a valve which is slidingly arranged in the bore of said cap so as to close the-outlet therefrom or open the same under varying degrees of pressure of accumulated air operating to raise and lower the float, substantially as described.

5. In combination with the valve-casing, the removable plug or nipple having a central bore or opening and a port or ports establishing communication between the same and the interior of the casing, and an inverted conelike extension of said plug within the casing having vertically-disposed ribs or flanges thereon to serve as guides for a superimposed float, together with a cap at the top of the casing having an air vent or port therein and a valve controlling said port, said valve being mounted on an inverted cup-like shell the lower open end of which embraces said guides and rests on said cone-like extension when the valve falls, substantially as described.

6. In combination with the cylindrical casing having a fluid-inlet port or ports at one end and means for attaching the same to a watcr nain, the removable cap at the opposite end of said casing having a central bore or passage for the admission or escape of air, and a float-valve controlling said passage, consisting of a piston-valve working in the bore of the cap and having its stem or rod joined to the closed end of an inverted cuplike shell located within the cylinder so as to provide a passage between the same and the interior of the cylinder for the accumulation and escape of air, substantially as described.

7. An automatic air-valve for water-mains comprising a vertically-disposed cylindrical casing open and internally screw-threaded at both ends, a cap or cover for said casing having an externally-threaded portion for screwing into said casing, and a differential bore forming a valve-chamber and seat for the valve, a plug or nipple having an externallythreaded extension at one end for screwing into a correspondingly internally threaded aperture in the water-main, and a threaded portion at its opposite end for screwing into said casing; the said plug having an internal bore provided with an inlet port oriports communicating with the interior of the casing, and a float-valve consisting of aninverted cup-like shell having a valve rod or stem thereon supporting a valve arranged to slide to and fro within the bore of larger diameter in said cap, so as to open or close the air-vent therein according to the position of the float, whereby accumulated air is permitted to escape until the water reaches a predetermined height, whereupon the valve will be closed until again opened by a further accumulation of air, substantially as'described.

8. An automatic air-valve for water-mains, comprising a cylindrical casing having a detaohable apertured plug with fluid-inlet port at its base, and a cap or cover with air vent or port therein removably secured at its top,

a float-valve within said casing adapted to CHRISTIAN E. LOETZER.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM C. FULLER, CAL R. WHITE. 

